A change of venue has worked for one team, while a change in captaincy hasn’t turned the fortunes of the other. No wonder then that Tuesday’s IPL clash between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad will start with the defending champion enjoying the tag of favourite.
After winning just two of its five games in Chennai, Rohit Sharma & Co. seems to be back in business in the national capital, notching up successive wins to revive its campaign. And the last-ball heist that Kieron Pollard pulled off against arch rival Chennai Super Kings over the weekend would have boosted its confidence further.
With shorter boundaries and a quicker deck at the Kotla working in MI’s favour, the five-time champion would be hoping that Hardik Pandya, who has been lacklustre so far, and Suryakumar Yadav, who has had a dip of late, will be back at their best against a tottering SRH line-up.
In addition to a formidable opponent, SRH has other battles to fight — getting the mood in the camp right, for instance. Despite David Warner putting up a brave front hours after being axed as captain and performing all the duties of a reserve player, SRH looked in disarray against Rajasthan Royals.
With a solitary win in the first half, SRH will be hoping for individual brilliance to fire the team up. Can Kane Williamson, reinstated as captain midway through the tournament, deliver the much-needed boost against an attack led by Kiwi compatriot Trent Boult?
With the Sunrisers’ middle- and lower-middle order having been found wanting time and again, the onus will be on the top three to make a match of it.
